(Suhyun!)
A voice brimming with warmth and excitement came through. As expected, the figure reflected in the orb was my older brother. The sky outside the orb was rushing by, so he hadn’t returned to the city yet. Seeing him made a smile want to break out on my face, but I managed to keep my expression in check.
“What have you been up to all this time? For months, no less.”
(Oh, I just found something I really wanted to do. I succeeded, and now I’m on my way back.)
“Something you wanted to do? What did you accomplish?”
(You’d be shocked if I told you.)
He flashed a charming smile and gave a playful wink. Looks like he wasn’t planning to spill the details just yet.
(By the way, I heard you were looking for me a lot? Our Suhyun, you missed your big brother that much?)
“Of course I was worried! You disappeared for months without a word…”
(Oh, so you were worried about me? Really?)
“Ha, so that’s how it is.”
His teasing made me blush, but I had a perfect remedy for moments like this. I lit a cigarette and took a long drag, then gave him a pointed look. Instantly, his sly grin vanished, replaced by a stern expression. He scolded me softly, (Hey, Suhyun.)
“Why? Should I try going silent on you next time?”
(Sorry, sorry. I was really wrong. Please don’t do that.)
His tone was half warning, half apology, and he quickly made amends. “Hmph.” After putting out the cigarette, he stared intently into the orb. Now that I thought about it, something was off. The scenery around him wasn’t trees—it was sky. And why was it rushing by so fast?
“Bro, wait…”
(Hmm? Hold on a sec, Suhyun.)
He suddenly leaned back, asking for a moment. His tall forehead appeared through his tousled hair, slowly furrowing in confusion.
(This is strange. Why did it suddenly get so dark…?)
“Dark? Well, it’s night time, isn’t it?”
(No, it’s more than that. It’s much—)
“…?”
Just then, a sudden hot gust of wind blew through. The moment I sensed it, my stomach churned. It was an indescribably eerie and ominous feeling—like confronting a massive, concentrated evil. So powerful that even my EX-rank clairvoyance couldn’t calm it.
Whoooooooosh…
Then came a bizarre resonance, like the death rattle of a dying patient, filled with overwhelming hatred and malice. I wasn’t the only one who heard it; the garden quickly filled with murmurs. I barely lifted my chin and saw the sky—not just cloudy, but pitch black and twisted. That’s when I realized what was happening.
“Bro, I’ll contact you later.”
I cut the communication immediately.
“Close it!”
My shout overlapped with Hwajeong’s. Looking toward the center, a jet-black magical circle hovered in the air, spewing thick black smoke. Since I’d moved away to communicate, I was quite a distance from it. Luckily, my voice reached Goyeonju, Haseungwoo, and Heojunyoung, who all started sprinting toward the scene. Goyeonju was the fastest, but Haseungwoo was closest.
Then, in an instant, Goyeonju’s figure vanished into the ground and suddenly reappeared right beneath the magic circle. As she rose, she stretched out her hand like a beam of light and slammed the lid of the box on the ground shut with force. The strange energy that had filled the box vanished as if it had never been there. The breath I’d been holding finally escaped.
‘G-Goyeonju. The Shadow Queen.’
‘0.1 seconds?’
‘Damn it, that was another million GP down the drain. Who was it this time?’
That made two boxes worth a million GP each lost. It was incredibly frustrating, but at the same time, I felt relieved. When I opened the third box earlier, I hadn’t sensed anything. It wasn’t that the Thanatos flower was weak, but the power gap was so huge that I probably didn’t notice—like when Gehenna appeared through the dimensional gate.
But this time was different. Instinctively, I knew this wasn’t something a human could handle. The evil I felt was that intense and immense.
‘Ancient evil god? How strong is that? Same level as before?’
‘Three or four tiers below…’
‘Hmm.’
‘I see.’
Hearing Hwajeong’s words, I decided not to dwell on regrets. Ever since we dealt with the awakened Kushan Thor, I’d been a bit dismissive of gods. But thinking back, he was just a demigod, barely awakened. Better to let go than to die in vain chasing foolish ambitions.
Hwajeong was absolutely right. Leaving everything to Ansol wasn’t the answer. We’d pushed our luck too far. If it were monsters like Midget Smith or Sir Obello, maybe we could handle it. But summoning Thanatos flowers and ancient evil gods? That was way beyond acceptable limits. There was nothing we could do.
In the end, I ordered everyone to stand down, leaving one box unopened.
My brother said he’d arrive in the city in two to three days at most. Traveling from the Steel Mountains to Atlanta in three days sounded unbelievable. But he was confident, even daring me to bet on it. Knowing his personality, he rarely showed such certainty, so I had no choice but to back down.
When I said I’d just wait, he looked disappointed but promised to meet me as soon as he returned. He had urgent things to discuss and was hiding something—I was curious.
Aside from meeting my brother, the top priority now was “strengthening.” Strengthen myself, my clan members, and eventually the entire Northern Continent. Atlanta was active, but there was a huge difference between just establishing a foothold and true stabilization.
But I had no intention of stabilizing Atlanta to the level of the Northern Continent. That would take years, maybe longer. I wanted to find the Zero Code and get home as soon as possible. And there was a sure way to speed that up: reveal all the progress I’d made.
That would energize activities, accelerate discoveries, and naturally speed up stabilization. The overall level of the Northern Continent would rise. Not just from acquiring achievements, but from the experience gained through exploration itself.
Then, when the time was right, I’d unveil the final continent, Terra, and advance. That was my current plan. That’s why I told Gabriel I’d only touch 30% of the secret library records during negotiations. (Of course, that 30% was for the mercenaries; Hamill and Istanbul Row were separate.) I never intended to monopolize the achievements dormant in Atlanta like the Northern Continent. Not for anyone else, but for myself.
Of course, revealing Terra was still a distant plan. For now, I was still in the phase of strengthening myself and my clan. But that phase was nearly over. The owners of the Water and Fire Crystals were already decided. The Dancer of the White Night just needed to be observed. I’d also chosen who would receive the potions to boost strength, endurance, and magic power. And,
“Oh, the Light and Darkness Crystals…”
Knock, knock.
Click.
Just then, as I was lost in thought, I sensed someone quietly opening the door and entering. Glancing over, I saw a small silver-haired girl fluttering thirteen pairs of wings.
“Marni?”
“Daddy~.”
The moment I embraced the softly flying figure, I felt that Mar had grown again. The childlike appearance was gone, replaced by the scent of a young girl. She might as well be my younger sister from the Source. Her growth was so rapid that every time I saw her, there was a subtle sense of unease.
“Daddy, daddy, you know…”
What was she so curious about? Mar’s bright eyes sparkled as she looked at me, full of expectation but also a bit impatient.
As I soothed her, I activated my Third Eye. Come to think of it, I hadn’t checked on Mar’s growth recently. Last time I saw her, her stats were pretty impressive…
< Resident Information (Native Status) >
Name: Mar
Class: - (Undecided)
Affiliation (Nation): – (Undecided)
Affiliation (Clan): Mercenary (Clan Rank: S Zero)
True Name & Nationality: 1. Half-Elf 2. Royal Bloodline of the Queen • Fairy Forest
Gender: Female (1)
Height & Weight: 94.2 cm • 18.1 kg
Disposition: Lawful • Pure
[Strength 21] [Endurance 27] [Agility 43] [Vitality 41] [Magic 100] [Luck 100]
First Awakening has been completed.
Although the wings were forcibly accepted, thanks to a miracle, they have now fully settled.
The knowledge hidden within the wings is absorbed naturally. Future growth will increase exponentially.
The 13 pairs of wings are the first ever recorded in history. Even the legendary Fairy Queen’s wings number only 12 pairs. If the Third Awakening is completed as is, there’s a high chance of becoming an unprecedented being.
<Achievements (0)>
<Unique Abilities (1/1)>
<Special Abilities (1/1)>
<Potential Abilities (2/3)>
Miracle of the Sky (Rank: S Plus)
Spirit’s Protection (Rank: EX)
–
“Huh?”
The moment I checked Mar’s resident information, an involuntary, almost pathetic sound escaped my lips. Something had changed—by quite a lot. Height and weight, of course… no, even those had grown too much. But it wasn’t just that. True name, stats, abilities—they’d all shifted. My eyes kept drifting back to the special ability.
Fairy’s Eye That Pierces Truth? Wasn’t that originally the ever-burning light of wisdom? Had it undergone some massive change without me noticing?
“Dad, Dad~. Hey?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Let’s go quickly, okay?”
“Go where?”
Damn it, I’d been lost in thought and hadn’t caught what Mar said. But Mar didn’t seem bothered at all and continued as if nothing was wrong.
“To the storage room.”
“Storage room?”
“The hammer from yesterday.”
“The hammer from yesterday? Oh, the one that glows golden?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“You have to use it quickly.”
“…?”
Why all of a sudden the storage room?
—Just go along with it, why not? I don’t know what’s going on, but at least it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a loss.
Just as I tilted my head in confusion, Hwa-jeong’s voice echoed in my mind.
‘You won’t lose out?’
—Yeah. Didn’t I say it before? When the Fairy Queen speaks, there’s always a reason.
‘Hmm.’
—Go check it out. Maybe something good is waiting for you.
Well, going there isn’t exactly a big deal.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I stood up calmly, and Mar practically bounced with excitement.
“Wow! This is so exciting!”
“Why are you so excited?”
Mar clenched both hands cutely and said with a bright smile,
“I’m going to do something good for you, Dad!”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
The foreshadowing is all set.
Now, we’ll slowly move into a new part. :)